A/N: For those of you who actually saw the first publication of this, the random '1' was added when I uploaded the document. But I fixed it. Enjoy.
Rose was never one to cry.
After her mother left her, her father, and her brother, she cried for a week solid, but then realized that leaving others is a part of life. When her first husband left her, she'd just given birth to June. Her second husband left her for his best friend's sister. Her third husband was shot by some idiot who had a horrible aim three months after they married. She still had their rings - hers and her third husband's - and she would constantly ask herself why she kept them. She did all the same, and nothing could take them away from her. Except for Herbie.
Herbie, the fourth man to have entered her life, was the only person who was capable of taking them away from her, and the simple reason was that he was the only one who knew where she kept then. He never did, though. Even knowing everything that she'd been through, he never thought to take them. He knew their meaning, their story, never met the owner of one of them, loved the owner of the other one with all his heart. He knew that he should be mad at his love, but wasn't – he couldn't bring himself to be anything but adoring of her most of the time.
Rose was never one to cry. Herbie never saw tears. Rose had grown good at restraining tears. Herbie never knew that. Rose always gave the false image that she had nothing to cry over, that nothing worried her. Herbie believed it. After June left them, Rose tried to keep it together for Herbie's sake, for Louise's sake. She had done it before. Why should now be any different? Herbie knew she was strong. Louise knew she was strong.
The night that marked the one week anniversary of June's departure proved Herbie and Louise otherwise. That night, Rose was a bundle of nerves and no one could comfort her. Louise knew better than to help, and Herbie knew Rose would seek his comfort at her own will.
Rose was never one to cry.
